1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to systems and methods for accounting and billing for network services and, in particular, to policy based accounting and billing systems and methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, Wide Area Networks (WANs), Metro Area Networks (MANs), enterprise networks, and the like have been used for transmitting data between computers. Such networks may use protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP) or Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) protocol for routing data packets through a given network.
Accounting and billing for use of such networks has typically been by at least one of two methods. The first method generally includes charging a customer a flat rate, such as a flat monthly rate, for a fixed amount of bandwidth. Under this approach, each customer is billed the same amount each month regardless of: the amount of bandwidth actually used by the customer, the various destinations of the various data packets transmitted or received, the time of day the packets are transmitted or received, or the type of packets transmitted. Thus, this approach is generally limits the ability to provide a network customer with an accounting and billing system tailored to the customer's needs.
The second method includes billing the customer on a per-packet basis for each data packet transmitted by the customer. Pursuant to this method, a network device records each packet transmitted by the customer using a packet counter, which increments for each packet transmitted by the customer. The customer is then billed according to the number of recorded packets transmitted during a particular time period. Under this approach, customers are usually billed, regardless of: the nature of the transmitted packet, the destination of the packet, the time of day the packet was transmitted, the number of packets received by the customer, or the route traversed by the packet to reach its destination.
A need exists, therefore, for a more sophisticated system and method for accounting and billing for network services. An additional need exists for a system and method for accounting and billing for network services that may be employed with conventional protocols, such as the MPLS and IP protocols.